Interlocking block building construction



Feb. 28, 1967 o. M. STEELE INTERLOCKING BLOCK BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONFiled Nov. 13, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 28, 1967 o. M. STEELEINTERLOCKING BLOCK BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets$heet 2 Filed Nov. 15,1963 WVENTOR. OSCAR MURPHY STEELE Feb. 28, 1967 0. M. TEELE 3,305,982

INTERLOCKING BLOCK BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 13, 1963 3Sheets-Sheet 5 mvzsmozz Fig- 13. OSCAR MURPHY STEELE United StatesPatent Ofificc 33%,982 Patented Feb. 28, 1967 3,305,982 INTERLQQKINGBLQCK BUILDING CGNSTRUCTlGN Oscar Murphy Steeie, Versailles, Ind,assignor of one-half to Ralph B. Gookins, Napoleon, Ind. Filed Nov. 13,1963. Ser. No. 323,440 2 Claims. ((31. 52-90) This invention relatesgenerally to building construction and more particularly to means and amethod whereby a comparatively inexperienced and unskilled person canconstruct a building with very little or no dilficulty.

Heretobefore, construction of buildings has usually been undertaken andsuccessfully accomplished only by persons of considerable skill andexperience. Moreover it has required a substantial investment in the wayof time and labor as well as construction materials and tools. Moreover,even in the most simple types of building constructions heretoforeknown, it is almost essential that two persons be available forconstruction of certain portions of the building, and particularly theroof construction.

In most building constructions heretofore known, in order to havesatisfactory surfaces for both the exterior and interior of thebuilding, it is necessary to employ various types of building materialsin the building walls. This usually necessitates tedious and timeconsuming finishing operations both on the exterior and interior wallsof the building. Also various finishing operations are always requiredon the floors and ceilings of the building.

Another common characteristic of conventional building construction isthe fact that much cutting and fitting is required in the construction.Furthermore many of the structural components employed are heavy andbulky and therefore difiicult to handle.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide abuilding construction and components therefor such as to enable even theunskilled person to construct a very acceptable and desirable buildingwith ease.

A further object is to provide a building construction requiring aminimum of time and labor.

A further object is to provide a building construction which eliminatesthe necessity for cutting, fitting, and finishing operations of a typenormally encountered in building construction.

A further object is to provide a building construction which can employwell known, readily available, and comparatively inexpensive materials.

A further object is to provide a building construction which may bepermanent, if desired, and which will retain an attractive appearancefor a long period of time with essentially no maintenance.

Described briefly, in a typical embodiment of the present invention, arectangular concrete footing is provided. However, practically any kindof foundation can be used if it has a reasonably straight surfaceadapted to support building blocks. Along two sides of the footing andatop the footing there are provided rows of floor side blocks which reston the footing and which interlock with each other by the use ofdovetail tongue and groove arrangements, each of the blocks havingupwardly projecting mitered projections on its top or upper surface. Thefloor side blocks aiong one wall of the building have dovetailed tongueson the inside surfaces thereof whereas the floor side blocks on theopposite wall of the building have dovetailed grooves on the insidesurfaces thereof.

A floor is provided in the building by the use of blocks having adovetailed groove on one side and a dovetailed tongue on the other side,with the blocks being assembled in series across from one wall of thebuilding to the opposite wall of the building. These blocks, whenassembled, are self-sustaining and extend on to the footings at thefront and rear walls of the building and are supported thereby at thefront and rear walls. The floor blocks which do rest on the front andrear wall footings have mitered projections on the upper surfacesthereof to receive a course of Wall forming blocks.

The side and end walls of the building are formed of blocks havingmitered recesses on the under surfaces thereof and mitered projectionson the upper surfaces thereof, the recesses and projections beingproperly sized for tying the successive courses of blocks together. Ateach end of the wall forming blocks there is a dovetail flange or adovetail groove for interlocking with successive blocks in the samecourse.

A row of ceiling side blocks is provided at the sides of the building ontop of the upper course of said forming blocks. The ceiling side blocksare identical to the floor side blocks. A set of ceiling end blocks isdisposed on the upper course of the end wall forming blocks.

The gable ends of the building are formed by courses of typical Wallblocks plus tapered blocks which interlock therewith. The roof is alsoformed of roof blocks similar to those forming the floor and ceiling butof a slightly larger size. Roof side blocks are provided which interlockwith each other and with the adjacent roof blocks as well as with theceiling side blocks to securely anchor the roof structure to the sidewalls. The tapered blocks at the gable ends are provided with dovetailflange construction to engage dovetail groove construction in the roofend blocks.

The whole structure is thereby keyed together to provide a structurallysound and yet easily assembled building and not requiring adhesives andfillers in its construction.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a building representing atypical embodiment of the present invention, portions of the buildingbeing cut away to illustrate certain structural details.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a wall block of the buildingof FIG. 1, the block being oriented in a direction showing details notapparent in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2 as in the remaining FIGURES 3-13, theorientation of the blocks is not necessarily the same as theirorientation in the drawing of FIG. 1, it being changed in a number ofinstances in order to better show the complete shape of the block orcomponent.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the block of FIG. 2 taken along theline 33 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a ceiling or floor block.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a tapered gable block.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a floor or ceiling side block.I

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a ceiling corner block.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of another ceiling corner block.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a ceiling end block.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a roof corner block showingthe upper surface of the block.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of the roof corner block of FIG.10 but showing the lower surfaces thereof.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of a roof side block showing thelower surfaces thereof.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of another roof side block ofgreater length than that shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a view showing two types of keys which can be usedconveniently in the construction of a building according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic top plan view of the floor of the buildingillustrating the arrangement of the blocks along the sides and ends ofthe floor.

FIG. 16 is a schematic top plan view of the ceiling of the buildingillustrating the arrangement of the blocks at the sides and the ends ofthe building.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a universal floor and ceiling block.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it is usually desirable toconstruct the building according to the present invention by beginningat one corner and adding blocks in all directions. Therefore, assumingthat there is a rectangular concrete slab or footing 21, constructioncan begin by first placing the corner block 22 at the southwest cornerof the footing. It will be understood when referring to the building,that the south end is the front end, the north end is the rear end, andthe portions facing east and west are the right and left sides,respectively. It is only necessary in the practice of the invention thatthe footing 21 have sufficient width and sufficiently flat and planartop surfaces to suuport properly the various blocks which form the outermargins of the building around its perimeter.

The block 22 is generally in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped.It has rnitered projections 23 and 24 on its upper face and a dovetailflange 26 on its inside face. The flange 26 is coextensive with theblock and is located equidistant between the upper and lower faces ofthe block. The block also has a vertically extending dovetail groove inits rear end located equi-distantly between the outside and inside facesof the block.

When block 22 has been installed, the floor side :block 28 is installed.This block, which is much like the floor corner block 22, is arectangular parallelepiped having a pair of mitered projections on itsupper face, one of these projections being hidden by the next course ofblocks which rests on the course formed by the block 22, block 28 andthe remaining floor side blocks. The floor side block 28 is shown inmore detail in FIG. 6. It has a vertical dovetail flange 29 in its frontend received by the dovetail groove 27 in the rear end of corner block22. It also has a horizontal dovetail flange 31 in its inside face, thisinside face being termed the inside face to designate its position inthe building of FIG. 1. A vertical dovetail groove 32 is provided in therear end of the block.

The remaining blocks in the course which lies on the west leg of thefooting are identical to the floor side block 28 with the exception ofthe block at the northwest corner which is designated by the referencenumeral 33 in FIG. 15. This block does not have the dovetail groovetherein and presents a smooth surface at the rear end of the buildingbecause it is the outside surface.

Referring to the front of the building, a short floor end block 36 restson the footing front leg. This block is a rectangular parallelepipedwith a mitered projection 37 centrally located on its upper face. It hasa horizontal dovetail groove 38 in one side and a horizontal dovetailflange in the other side. The dovetail groove receives a portion of thedovetail flange 26 of the corner block 22.

The rest of the dovetail flange 26 is received by a horizontal dovetailgroove in a side of the floor block 41.

Floor block 41, also is shown in greater detail in FIG. 4, wherein theorientation is different from the block in FIG. 1. The block 41 is arectangular parallelepiped with a dovetail flange 42 in one side thereofand a dovetail groove 43 in the opposite side thereof. It has a straightflange 44 in one end thereof and a straight groove 46 in the other endthereof. Where the expressions straight flange and straight groove areused, this is to distinguish from the dovetail or flaring flanges andgrooves, the sides of the straight flanges and grooves being straightwhereas the sides of the dovetail flanges and grooves are flared ortapered. Of course, both the flared and tapered flanges and grooves arestraight from end to end to permit sliding of the parts together ininterlocking relationship. Thus the dovetail flange 26 of the cornerblock 22 and the dovetail flange 31 of the floor side block 28 are inalignment when these two parts are assembled together. Likewise thedovetail groove 38 of the floor end block 36 and the dovetail groove 43of the floor block 41 are in alignment when these two parts areassembled to the dovetail flanges of the blocks 22 and 28.

The floor end short block 35 is followed by a floor end long block 47which is identical to block 36 except that it is twice as long. It isfollowed by another short block identical to block 36 which is followedby a long block identical to block 47 and so on across the front leg ofthe footing. It has been mentioned that it is most convenient to startwith the block 22. This can be followed by installation of either theblock 28 or the block 36. Once the three blocks 28, 22 and 36 have beenplaced on the west and south legs of the footing, the block 41 can beconveniently installed. It is installed by placing the block beginningat the north end of block 28 and aligning the dovetail groove of block41 with the dovetail flange of block 28. It is then slid horizontally tothe south until the front end of the block 41 abuttingly engages therear end of the block 36. At this time, the straight flange on theinside face of the block 36 will have been engaged by the straightgroove 46 of the block 41. Thus the block 41 is firmly supported on oneside by the blocks 23 and 22 and on one end by the block 36. It willremain there in position without there being any support under the block41. Thus it is seen that no slab under the floor is necessary as suchand only a generally rectangular footing suflicient to support theblocks forming the perimeter of the floor is suflicient.

The floor end long block 47 can be installed conveniently either priorto or subsequent to the installation of block 41. Similarly, theremaining floor front end blocks can be installed before the rest of thefloor blocks are installed. However it is not convenient to install allof the floor side blocks before installing sufficient floor blocks, forthe reason that the floor side blocks must be installed from a verticaldirection because of the vertical dovetail tongues and grooves therein.If they were all installed before the floor was built out sufficientlyfrom the corner in easy steps, it would be necessary to slide the floorblocks to the north of block 41 a substantial distance along the insidesurfaces of the floor side blocks before they arrived at their properlocations.

In other Words, after the floor block 41 is installed, before addinganother floor block it is advisable to install the floor side block 48.Then the floor block 49 can be installed conveniently. Once the floorblocks 4-1 and 49 are installed, and floor end block 47 is installed,the floor block 51 can be readily installed. All of these blocks areslid into position horizontally sliding in a direction from north tosouth.

Referring further to FIG. 15, the blocks 52 and 53 at the northeast andsoutheast corners of the building may be exactly the same as blocks 33and 22 at the northwest and southwest corners of the buildingrespectively, except that the blocks 52 and 53 have dovetail grooves intheir inside faces whereas the blocks 33 and 22 have dovetail flanges inthe inside faces thereof. It should be apparent, that the constructionof the floor will be facilitated if construction begins at the southeastcorner at about the same time that construction begins at the souhwestcorner and if construction from both corners proceeds at a pace suchthat it does not require sliding of floor blocks excessive distances.

Any time, after installation of floor side and end blocks, erection ofwalls thereon can begin. For construction of the walls, wall blocks 54are used, details of which are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. These wall blocksare rectangular parallelepipeds, each having a vertical dovetail groove56 in one end and a vertical dovetail flange '7 in the other end. Eachhas a mitered projection 58 on its upper surface and a mitered recess 59on its lower surface. Most blocks have two mitered projections andmitered recesses. The exterior perimetrical dimensions of the miteredprojections are equal to the interior perimetrical dimensions of themitered recesses thus accommodating the projection of one block into therecess of the next block placed thereon. Thus the interlockingarrangement of all wall blocks is established between courses of blocks.Furthermore it is preferable to break the joints in constructing thevarious courses of blocks.

As shown in FIG. 3, the blocks are hollow providing cavities 61 and 62therein separated by a partition 63. Access to each of the cavities suchas 61, for example, is provided by way of the aperture 64 in the miteredprojection and the aperture 66 in the mitered recess. This constructionmakes it possible to provide blocks of very light weight and having goodinsulating properties by the provision of dead air spaces in the blocks.It is contemplated that for the wall blocks as well as the other blocksincorporated in the building construction, inexpensive plastics will beemployed, further contributing to the light weight and ease of handlingof the blocks as well as their durability and the facility of obtainingdesired surface effects and colors therein.

While the various courses of blocks in the walls are interlocked by themitered projections and recesses in the blocks 54, the interlocking ofthe various blocks in a single course is provided by the interengagementof the dovetail flanges and dovetail grooves in successive blocks in acourse.

It will be recognized that the wall blocks at the corners of thebuilding do not have a dovetail flange at one end and a dovetail grooveat the other end but instead have either a vertical dovetail flange or avertical dovetail groove at one end with the opposite end being51300111.

At the window 67, the wall block d8 may be identical to the remainingwall blocks in the building with the exception that the corners thereofat 69 and 71 may be rounded, if desired, and a straight groove may beprovided in the end to receive a Window frame. Other configurations maybe employed depending upon the type of window to be used. Also a windowsill block 73 may be employed having suitable dimensions to provide anoverstand or projection beyond the wall surface of two inches or more,as desired. These blocks may have a sloping upper face 74 with a step 75therein, again to accommodate the window frame. The lower face of theblocks is provided with mitered recesses the same as for the regularwall blocks and which receive the mitered projections of the supportingcourse of wall blocks.

The window header 7s may be made of a single block one-half the heightof the ordinary wall blocks with mitered recesses and projectionstherein and having a short course of half-height blocks 77 thereon. Theoverstand from the exterior wall surface of the building provided by theportion 78 may be made to any extent desired.

At the doorway 79 the blocks used may be the same as the blocks 68 atthe windows and may have the straight groove 72 receive a door frame, ifdesired. The header for the door may be the same as that for the windowor other types may be employed.

At the top surface of the upper courses of blocks for the various Wallsthere is provided another course of ceiling end and side blocks. Theceiling side blocks are identical to the floor side blocks. For example,ceil ng side block 82 is identical to floor side block 23. The are thefloor blocks received and supported by the floor end blocks in order toprovide a smooth regular app-earing exterior surface on the building atthis elevation.

Ceiling end block 83 is an example and is shown in FIG. 9. This blockhas a vertical dovetail tongue 84 at one end and a vertical dovetailgroove 85 in the other end. It has a straight horizontal flange 87 inits inside face which enters and engages the horizontal groove in oneside of the ceiling block adjacent thereto. The ceiling blocks 88 areidentical to the floor blocks 41 and are disposed in the sameorientation as the floor blocks 41. Consequently the ceiling blocks arereceived and supported by the ceiling side blocks in the same manner asare the floor blocks and they are received and sup ported by the ceilingend blocks in the same manner as are the floor blocks received andsupported by the floor end blocks. Also the manner of construction ofthe ceiling is the same as that of the floor.

Because of the difference between the ceiling end blocks and the floorend blocks, the ceiling corner blocks are different from the floorcorner blocks. By way of example, there is in FIGS. 1 and 8, ceilingcorner block 89. This block has a pair of mitered projections on itsupper surface and has a vertical dovetail flange 91 in one end. It has avertical dovetail groove 92 in one face to receive the vertical dovetailflange of the ceiling side block 82. The corner block 89 also has aforeshortened straight flange 93 which is horizontal and on an insideface thereof to engage the horizontal groove in the short block 94 atthe corner. FIG. 7 shows the typical ceiling corner block 95 for thenorthwest corner of the building. The block for the northeast corner isidentical except that it has a horizontal flange instead of thehorizontal groove of block 95.

Referring to FIG. 16, the ceiling side block 96 on the east wall isidentical to ceiling side block 82 on the west wall with the exceptionthat block 96 has a horizontal dovetail groove therein whereas block 82.has a horizontal dovetail flange thereon. Again it should he mentionedthat block 82 is identical to block 28 shown in FIG. 6.

It will be apparent that in the construction of the floor and ceiling,the necessity of providing right hand and left hand blocks can beavoided if one set of floor and ceiling blocks extending from north tosouth is provided with dovetail grooves on both sides which are tiedtogether by the key 97 of FIG. 14. Also, it may be advantageous incertain instances to provide a pair of adjacent straight grooves with akey 98 fitted therein. Also, a master floor and ceiling block 99 may beprovided as shown in FIG. 17. This block has horizontal dovetail grooveson opposite sides thereof and horizontal straight grooves on theopposite ends thereof. These grooves facilitate the use of the keys 97and 93 for connection to adjacent blocks such as block 41.

At the front and rear ends of the building are gables. The standard wallforming blocks such as 54 are used at the gable ends. However taperedblocks 101 such as shown in FIG. 5 are employed to receive the ends ofthe roof. Each of these blocks has a dovetail groove 192 upstanding inan end and an upstanding dovetail flange 1% in the inclined uppersurface 194 thereof. The vertical dovetail grooves tie the taperedblocks into the remaining blocks of the course and each of the taperedblocks has two mitered recesses in the under side thereof for engagementwith the mitered projections of the ceiling end blocks '83. Thesemitered recesses are designated by the reference numerals 1% in FIG. 5.

Construction of the roof begins at the southwest corner, for example,with a roof corn-er block 107 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. This block hasmitered recesses res and 109 therein which are received on the miteredprojections 111 and 112 respectively of the blocks 89 and 82respectively. The inside 113 engages the outside faces of the blocks 89and 82. The groove 114 in the block receives the dovetail flange 103 ofblock 191, interlocking therewith. Block N97 is first assembled with theblock 101. The combination is then placed down on the blocks 89 and 82.The flat underside 116 of the block 107 rests on the upper surfaces ofthe blocks 89 and 82 whereas the inclined underside 117 of the block 107rests on the upper face of the tapered block Hi1. A straight flange 118is provided at the upper edge to engage the straight groove 119 of aroof end block such as block 121 (FIG. 1).

Block 107 has a vertical dovetail flange 122 therein which engages thevertical dovetail groove 123 of a short roof side block 124 which isshown in enlarged form in FIG. 12 (not shown in FIG. 1). This block 124has a pair of mitered recesses 133 and 13 in the under side thereofwhich receive the mitered projections of ceiling side blocks thereunder.

A roof side long block 130 (FIG. 13) adjoins the roof side short block124 and is identical thereto with exception of having a longer inclinedspan. it also has a dovetail groove 126 in one side of the inclined spanand a dovetail flange 127 in the other side thereof and a straightflange 128 on the upper edge thereof. It has a gutter channel 129 nearthe outer margin thereof like the gutter channel 131 of the roof cornerblock 11W. The roof side block 130 has mitered recesses in the undersidethereof like block 124 to receive mitered projections of the ceilingside blocks to which it is mounted. The channel 136 is identical to thatof the block 124 and these channels in the various roof side blocksprovide a rain gutter. The vertical dovetail groove 135 of block 136receives the vertical dovetail flange 144 of block 124.

The main roof blocks 137 are identical to the floor and ceiling blocks,with the exception of their size. Also, during installation, they areslid downwardly at an angle toward the west wall of the building. Theroof end blocks 121 are much like the roof blocks but are longer andhave the dovetail grooves in the underside thereof which are received onthe dovetail flanges of the tapered blocks in the gables. Theconstruction of the east portion of the roof is identical to that of thewest portion.

At the peak 138 of the roof is a special block having a pair of straightflanges 139 and 141 therein to receive special roof blocks 142 and 143respectively.

In the construction of the building in general, it is not necessary touse any adhesives at all. It is also not necessary to use interiorsupports for the ceiling, floor or roof. Interior partitions can be madeif desired in the same manner as are the exterior walls. It is usuallydesirable to use some type of clear plastic sealer on the roof toprevent water leakage.

If desired, clear plastic can be used in a number of the roof andceiling blocks for interior natural lighting. As mentioned previously,the wall, floor and ceiling and roof materials can be obtained in avariety of colors and surface finishes. Therefore finishing of theexterior and interior of the building is not necessary. Moreover,decoration can be formed right into the block surfaces if desired.

From the foregoing description, it is observed that the presentinvention makes it possible to achieve all of the objects set out hereinand other objects, advantages, :features will also become apparent tothose skilled in the :art.

While the invention has been disclosed and described "in some detail inthe drawings and foregoing description,

tical dovetail groove in one end and a vertical dovetail flange in theother end and a horizontal dovetail flange in one side and projectionsin the upper surface thereof, with the dovetail flanges in the endsthereof interlocking with the dovetail grooves in the ends of adjacentblocks; a plurality of superimposed courses of side wall forming blocksdisposed on said floor side blocks, each of said side wall formingblocks having recesses in the underside thereof receiving theprojections of the upper surfaces of the next lower course of blocks andeach of said side wall forming blocks having projections on the uppersurfaces thereof to project into recesses of blocks in the next highercourse of blocks, and each of said side wall forming blocks having avertical dovetail flange in one end thereof and a vertical dovetailgroove in the other end thereof, with each block in a course having thedovetail flange thereof received by the dovetail grooves of an adjacentblock in the course; and a course of ceiling side forming blocksreceived on the upper course of side wall forming blocks, said ceilingside forming blocks having recesses in the underside thereof to receivethe projections on the upper surfaces of the upper course of side wallforming blocks, and said ceiling side forming blocks having one end witha vertical dovetail flange in said one end of said ceiling formingblocks and another end with a vertical dovetail groove in said anotherend of said ceiling forming blocks, with the dovetail groove of oneblock in the course receiving the dovetail flange of an adjacent blockin the course, each of said ceiling side forming blocks having an insideface and a horizontal dovetail flange on the inside face of said ceilingside forming blocks; and a floor comprising a plurality of courses offloor forming blocks in side-byside relationship, said floor formingblocks having a horizontal dovetail groove in one side thereof and ahorizontal dovetail flange in the opposite side thereof and a horizontalstraight groove in one end thereof and a horizontal straight flange inthe other end thereof, the adjacent blocks in a course having thestraight flange of one received in the straight groove of the other andwith adjacent courses of blocks having dovetail flanges of one coursereceived in the dovetail grooves of the next adjacent course, said floorincluding floor end forming blocks having projections on the uppersurfaces thereof with said floor end forming blocks being mounted on anend wall of said foundation, said floor end forming blocks having astraight horizontal flange in one end thereof to enter a straighthorizontal groove in the next adjacent floor forming block, whereby saidfloor forming blocks are interlocked with each other and with the floorside and end forming blocks to provide a self sustaining floor renuiringno intermediate supports between the side and end walls of saidfoundation; and a ceiling having a plurality of blocks with a horizontaldovetail flange one side thereof and a horizontal dovetail groove in theother side thereof and a straight flange in one end thereof and astraight groove in the other end thereof, the blocks being arranged incourses with the blocks in one course being interlocked with each otherby means of the interengagement of the straight flanges and grooves ofadjacent blocks in the course, and successive ceiling courses being laidhorizontally in side-by-side relationship, with the horizontal dovetailflanges of one course engaging the horizontal dovetail grooves of thenext adjacent course of blocks, and the course of ceiling blocksadjacent said ceiling side forming blocks having the dovetail groovesthereof received on the dovetail flanges of the ceiling side formingblocks; ceiling end forming blocks disposed on one of said end walls ofsaid building and having a vertical dovetail flange in one end and avertical dovetail groove in the other end and projections in the uppersurface thereof and a straight horizontal flange in the inside facethereof, said ceiling end forming blocks having the straight horizontalflange thereof projecting into and supporting the straight horizontalgroove of the next adjacent ceiling forming block, whereby said ceilingis supported by said side and end walls without intermediate supports;and a roof comprising roof side forming blocks disposed on said ceilingside forming blocks, said roof side forming blocks having recesses inthe underside thereof to receive projections of said ceiling sideforming blocks and having a channel in an outer marginal portion thereofand having a vertical dovetail groove in one end thereof and a verticaldovetail flange in the other end thereof whereby adjacent roof sideforming blocks are interlocked with each other, every second successiveone of said roof side forming blocks having a dovetail groove in oneside thereof in a sloping portion thereof and a dovetail flange in theother side of a sloping portion thereof and a straight flange in anupper end of said sloping portion thereof, and a plurality of roofforming blocks mounted in courses beginning with each of said roof sideforming blocks, each block of a course of said roof forming blockshaving a dovetail flange in one side thereof and a dovetail groove inthe other side there-of and a straight flange in one end thereof and astraight groove in the other end thereof, the straight groove being inthe lower end thereof and received on the straight flange of the nextlower roof forming block, the dovetail flange and grooves of each courseof said roof forming blocks being interengaged and interlocked with thedovetail flanges and grooves of blocks of the next adjacent courses ofroof forming blocks.

2. In a building structure, roof side forming blocks having first andsecond mitered recesses in the underside of said blocks for receivingmitered projections on a building wall, and said blocks having amarginal portion and a gutter channel in said marginal portion of saidblocks and having opposite ends with a vertical dovetail groove in oneof said ends of said blocks and a vertical dovetail flange in the otherend of said blocks whereby adjacent roof side forming blocks mayinterlock.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK L. ABBOTT,Primary Examiner.

RICHARD W. COOKE, JR., Examiner.

R. A. STENZEL, Assistant Examiner.

1. A BUILDING COMPRISING: A FOUNDATION HAVING FRONT AND REAR END WALLSAND LEFT AND RIGHT-HAND SIDE WALLS; A FIRST COURSE OF FLOOR SIDE BLOCKSON ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID COURSE INCLUDING BLOCKS EACH HAVING AVERTICAL DOVETAIL GROOVE IN ONE END AND A VERTICAL DOVETAIL FLANGE INTHE OTHER END AND A HORIZONTAL DOVETAIL FLANGE IN ONE SIDE ANDPROJECTIONS IN THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF, WITH THE DOVETAIL FLANGES INTHE ENDS THEREOF INTERLOCKING WITH THE DOVETAIL GROOVES IN THE ENDS OFADJACENT BLOCKS; A PLURALITY OF SUPERIMPOSED COURSES OF SIDE WALLFORMING BLOCKS DISPOSED ON SAID FLOOR SIDE BLOCKS, EACH OF SAID SIDEWALL FORMING BLOCKS HAVING RECESSES IN THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF RECEIVINGTHE PROJECTIONS OF THE UPPER SURFACES OF THE NEXT LOWER COURSE OF BLOCKSAND EACH OF SAID SIDE WALL FORMING BLOCKS HAVING PROJECTIONS ON THEUPPER SURFACES THEREOF TO PROJECT INTO RECESSES OF BLOCKS IN THE NEXTHIGHER COURSE OF BLOCKS, AND EACH OF SAID SIDE WALL FORMING BLOCKSHAVING A VERTICAL DOVETAIL FLANGE IN ONE END THEREOF AND A VERTICALDOVETAIL GROOVE IN THE OTHER END THEREOF, WITH EACH BLOCK IN A COURSEHAVING THE DOVETAIL FLANGE THEREOF RECEIVED BY THE DOVETAIL GROOVES OFAN ADJACENT BLOCK IN THE COURSE; AND A COURSE OF CEILING SIDE FORMINGBLOCKS RECEIVED ON THE UPPER COURSE OF SIDE WALL FORMING BLOCKS, SAIDCEILING SIDE FORMING BLOCKS HAVING RECESSES IN THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF TORECEIVE THE PROJECTIONS ON THE UPPER SURFACES OF THE UPPER COURSE OFSIDE WALL FORMING BLOCKS, AND SAID CEILING SIDE FORMING BLOCKS HAVINGONE END WITH A VERTICAL DOVETAIL FLANGE IN SAID ONE END OF SAID CEILINGFORMING BLOCKS AND ANOTHER END WITH A VERTICAL DOVETAIL GROOVE IN SAIDANOTHER END OF SAID CEILING FORMING BLOCKS, WITH THE DOVETAIL FLANGE OFAN ADJACENT BLOCK IN THE COURSE, EACH OF SAID CEILING SIDE FORMINGBLOCKS HAVING AN INSIDE FACE AND A HORIZONTAL DOVETAIL FLANGE ON THEINSIDE FACE OF SAID CEILING SIDE FORMING BLOCKS; AND A FLOOR COMPRISINGA PLURALITY OF COURSES OF FLOOR FORMING BLOCKS IN SIDE-BYSIDERELATIONSHIP, SAID FLOOR FORMING BLOCKS HAVING A HORIZONTAL DOVETAILGROOVE IN ONE SIDE THEREOF AND A HORIZONTAL DOVETAIL FLANGE IN THEOPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF AND A A HORIZONTAL STRAIGHT GROOVE IN ONE ENDTHEREOF AND A HORIZONTAL STRAIGHT FLANGE IN THE OTHER END THEROF, THEADJACENT BLOCKS IN A COURSE HAVING THE STRAIGHT FLANGE